Kasim vs the Accoona Toolbar – draw in New York

6/23/2005 – On Tuesday FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov played an exciting game against the Accoona Toolbar, driven by a Fritz 9 prototype, in the ABC Times Square studios. With three hundred spectators and a dozen television cameras Kasim played a daring attacking game. Full analysis will follow, here's a pictorial report.

Accoona's Ultimate
“Man vs. Machine” Chess Match

June 21, 2005, 5pm at the ABC Times Square Studios

The computer opponent of the FIDE world champion was the "Accoona Artificial
Intelligence Search ToolBar". It is a utility you
can download and install on your computer to search the web and your hard
disk. The toolbar has a chess link which takes you to a special
site where you can read news, solve chess puzzles and play with a small
Java applet. Kasimdzhanov played against the "big brother" of this
chess engine, a prototype version of Fritz 9, which is based on strategic and
tactical understanding rather than purely on a brute force search. The program
ran on a simple, off-the-shelf notebook computer in its game against Kasimdzhanov.

"The computer is completely busted", was the general opinion in the
studio, where experts were analysing the game for the public. At the terminal,
where the game was being transmitted on the Internet, we could see that the
engine was completely relaxed and in fact showing a draw score. GM Ron Henley
was skeptical, and suitably impressed by the following defence: 37...Kh8
38.Rxf3 Rg8 39.Rg6 Rf8 40.Rg5 Rg8 41.Rg6 Rf8 42.Rg5 draw.

America's hopefuls: two time women's champion Jennifer Shahade, her brother
IM Greg Shahade, who is now very successful in poker, and their father, "Iron
Mike Shahade", four time Pennsylvania champion and perennial 2400 player.

Wow, look who turned up: American legend Gata Kamsky, the strongest American
GM since Bobby Fischer, who gave up chess for medical and law studies some years
ago. Gata, seen here chatting with Accoona host Armand Rousso and GM Lev Albert,
was great form – warm, charming, humorous, you better believe us!

Rustam Kasimdzhanov arrives. He and Gata, probably representing more chess
power than the rest of the people in that part of Manhattan

Rustam checks out the stage and poses for first photographs

New York's Sports Commissioner Kenneth Podziba welcoming Kasimdzhanov to the
city and thanking Accoona for this and the many exciting chess events it has
staged in the city.

Preparing mentally for the game. Kasim entered the moves himself on the
notebook

The game is under way, the audience can follow the moves on plasma screens

Already during the
live transmission we receive a number of inquiries. So here is the answer:
Daniel Hechter, a classy French designer.

After the draw he get the trophy from COO Alessandra Coderoni

Alessandra would have liked to keep the trophy for the Accoona offices
and playfully struggled with Rustam on the stage for it. In the end they decided
that the program probably wouldn't care that much about its human opponent getting
it (in spite of the draw).

Rustam talks to the audience about his game. He said that he thought he
was totally winning, but had made the mistake of using up too much time. "It
is impossible to work out all the complications when you are essentially playing
on the ten-second increment – and you are facing the terrible precision
of this machine."

Giving interviews to the TV stations covering the event

Analysing the game with Mig Greengard for the ChessBase report

Post-match dinner at a splendid French restaurant on 55th street, with Armand
Rousso, Alessandra Coderoni, Ron Henley and Rustam Kasimdzhanov.

US Chess ladies Jennifer Shahade and Elizabeth Vicary fawning over the world
champion

See also

5/26/2005 – On June 21st the reigning FIDE world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov is scheduled
to play a chess match against the "AI Accoona ToolBar". The venue
is Times Square in New York, and the organisers, Accoona
Corp., is making 225 free tickets available to our ChessBase new readers.
Come and get them...Discuss

6/15/2005 – The European Individual Women's Championship 2005 is under way in Chisinau, Moldova. 164 of the strongest female players from this part of the world are gathered together to crown a champion and to nominate twelve participants for the women's world championship. We bring you games, results and lots of beautiful pictures.Discuss

Discuss

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